radiobigworld:

Jonathan (hatched c. 1832) is a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa), a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), and the oldest known living terrestrial animal in the world.

Jonathan was brought to Saint Helena from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean in 1882, along with three other tortoises at about 50 years of age. He was named in the 1930s by Governor of Saint Helena Sir Spencer Davis. He continues to live on the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the governor, and is cared for by the government of Saint Helena.

His age is estimated because he was ‘fully mature’ when brought
to Saint Helena in 1882. ‘Fully mature’ means at least 50 years old,
giving him a hatching date no later than 1832. A photograph featuring
Jonathan originally thought to date from 1902 actually dates from 1886,
showing Jonathan four years after his arrival on Saint Helena.
Measurements taken from the photograph show that he was definitely fully
mature in 1886.

Jonathan now suffers from cataracts and his sense of smell is gone.

Anonymous:

How do you tell if a turtle/tortice is overweight or underweight?

the-awkward-turt:

That is a great question! I’ve mostly worked with aquatic turtles and box turtles so this will be more specific to them, but as far as I know it also applies to tortoises.

If you’ve spent a lot of time handling turtles you can tell just by feel. A turtle should feel like a weighty, solid animal when you pick it up; if it feels like a hollow shell then something is wrong. I’ve gotten to the point where I can tell if my turtles have gained or lost weight just by picking them up.

Otherwise you can get an idea by looking at their legs and tail. In a very underweight turtle the legs and tail will be thin and lacking in muscle mass. The area between the legs and the head can be especially telling. In a healthy turtle it should go more or less straight across. If it is concave you have an underweight turtle, if it is super puffy then you have an overweight turtle.

You can also tell a turtle is overweight if they can’t fit all their limbs and their head into their shell at once. When my Elphie was in her chunkiest phase (she has since been put on a diet and is now at a healthy weight) if she pulled all her legs into her shell her head would pop out because there wasn’t space.

exultant714:

Looks like these two are Forever Friends! 🐒🐢
Thanks for following @furreverfriendslb
.
Photo📸:
@wonderful_areas
.
#tortoise #turtles #tortoiseeatingapple #cuterortoise #tortoiseofinstagram #chimpfeedstortoise #foreverfriends #furreverfriends #chimpanzee #animalfriends (at Long Beach, California)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL0B-koJueJ/?igshid=84y2v1js9gmu

turtlespl:

Zofia jest weganką 😄
je z ręki 😍🥰🐢

#żółwielądowe #zolwie #żółwie #zolwgrecki #weganka #małejestpiękne #kochamżółwie #turtlespl #tortoise #sklepterrarystyczny #sklepzoologiczny #miastopoznań #turtlelover #tortoiselife #tortoiselove #tortoiseoftheday #tortoisegram #zwierzętawogrodzie #gady #reptilesofinstagram #jestempiekna #nowydomownik #śliczności #likesforlike #likeforfollow #hodowca #lubiewarzywa #želva #schildkröten #tortuga (w: Poznan, Poland)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLuT5IplCAk/?igshid=1iljobq67c3tf